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Women take fewer prescriptions than men

A report from Medco Health Solutions found that many American women use more medications than men typically do, but use less of the medicines they have prescribed to them.

On average, women take five separate drugs per day, while men typically take fewer than four, according to the report. Furthermore, after 25 clinical studies, women took fewer pills they were supposed to than men in every outcome. Women gave many reasons for the lack of adherence to their regimens, with some of the most common ones being unpleasant side effects and not seeing their health get better.

"It has long been demonstrated that there are physiological differences in women that affect their absorption and metabolism of medications, but this knowledge has not yet been widely translated into gender-specific dosing," said Dr. Amy Steinkellner, national practice leader for Medco Women's Health Therapeutic Resource Center.

It is not recommended that anyone stops taking prescribed medications without the consent of their doctor. With this in mind, if a person is struggling to pay for their medication, their health insurance may be too expensive. Finding a policy with lower health insurance rates may help solve a person's dilemma.